The Directors’ Cup all-sports standings are an interesting and imperfect snapshot of college sports programs. For 2011-12, they accurately portray historic and recent trends at Virginia and Virginia Tech.

First, the Cavaliers. They finished 15th, a modest dip after three consecutive top-10s, but sustained excellence matched by few others.

Virginia is among 14 schools that have placed in the top 30 for all 19 years of the Directors’ Cup. North Carolina is the only other ACC member in that group.

As usual, the Cavaliers were strongest in the spring with national finishes in baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s track and an NCAA championship in women’s crew.

Virginia Tech has never won a national team championship, but individual titles in men’s indoor and outdoor track helped the Hokies to their best-ever Cup finish of 35th.

Thanks in large measure to Marcel Lomnicky’s victory in the weight throw, Tech tied for eighth at the NCAA indoor meet. The Hokies finished fifth outdoors with Alexander Ziegler winning the hammer.

Among Virginia Tech’s considerable challenges when joining the ACC in 2004 was upgrading its pedestrian Olympic sports. The Hokies had never finished better than 63rd in the Directors’ Cup, and their average finish was 91st.

Since, Tech’s average finish is 44th, and the primary reason is Olympic sports. In addition to the aforementioned tracks, this year the Hokies scored Cup points in women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming, softball, men’s golf, men’s tennis, women’s indoor track and football.

Among the ACC’s 12 schools, Tech finished sixth and ahead of future members Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

(Before returning to the ACC, a quick shoutout to Christopher Newport for placing 23rd in the Division III standings, this a year after its best-ever finish of 20th. The Captains were especially strong in the spring with top-15 national finishes in baseball, softball and men’s golf.)

Led by Florida State at No. 5, the ACC had seven schools in the top 50. Remarkably, all 19 Seminoles teams qualified for NCAA postseason. If that’s happened previously in the conference, I am unaware.

On the strength of field hockey, football and men’s soccer, Old Dominion finished 79th, the Monarchs' best since 1999 (63rd) and tops in the Colonial Athletic Association. At No. 160, Norfolk State trailed onlyMaryland-Eastern Shore (119th) amongMid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools, this courtesy of football and men’s basketball.

William and Mary fell from 96th to 205th after scoring only in women’s soccer and men’s outdoor track. It is, by far, the Tribe's worst showing, the previous low of 154th occurring in 2004. W&M has 13 top-100 finishes.

Hampton was 206th for the second consecutive year, scoring in men’s indoor track and women’s basketball.